Tourism

Toronto Tourism Information

Toronto, Ontario is Canada’s largest city. It’s the city where 100 cultures have come together to create an amazing epicenter for communications, commerce and culture. In 1989 the United Nations deemed Toronto the world’s most ethnically diverse city. If you love to:
Experience different cultures
Appreciate a safe and clean city
Are anxious to have a whirlwind of things to do on your itinerary
Toronto is the right place for you to consider for your next vacation.

Demographics

Toronto is known for its diversity and culture and this is reflected in its many neighborhoods. Since World War II and throughout the 20th century, Toronto has attracted residents from around the world. Over two-thirds of the 4.5 million residents in the Greater Toronto area were born outside of Toronto.

A great variety of ethnic groups – some say 100 different groups – are now living in the city, making it a very diverse and interesting place. One of the largest Italian communities outside Italy resides in Toronto. Canada’s largest Chinese community and North America’s largest Portuguese community make their home in Toronto also.

History

The roots of Toronto are ancient, as the native Hurons named the city for the translated meaning “meeting place.” In the 1600s the French Jesuit Etienne Brule discovered portage routes along the Humber and Don rivers that spill into Lake Ontario. Toronto passed to British control in 1763, and the creation of an urban community began 30 years later when colonial officials built Fort York and laid out a town site.

When the British arrived they renamed their trading post to York and the locals dubbed the town “Muddy York” for its sloppy road conditions. That community became the capital of the province of Upper Canada (now Ontario). It also grew as an important commercial centre, and, in 1834, with 9,250 residents it was incorporated as the ‘City of Toronto.’

The population continued to expand: when Canada became a country in 1867, the city was home to 50,000 people. By 1901, 208,000 people lived there. Today, with well over two million people, Toronto is Canada’s largest city, the heart of the nation’s commercial, financial, industrial, and cultural life, and is one of the world’s most livable urban centers.